Fujifilm's beginner 14MP compact — 38-114mm 3x zoom, 720p video, NP-45 battery, early 2010s
The FinePix JV500 was a bottom-rung budget compact in Fujifilm's JV line, sold through UK high-street and online retailers such as Currys and Amazon in the early 2010s. It followed earlier JV models like the JV100 and JV250 and was aimed squarely at absolute beginners, offered in several colours with Fujifilm's simplest feature set.
It uses a 14-megapixel 1/2.3in CCD sensor recording up to 4,288x3,216 pixels, behind a Fujinon 3x optical zoom equivalent to 38-114mm. The 2.7in, 230k-dot LCD is the only finder. ISO runs 100-1600, video records at 720p 30fps, and features include Scene Recognition Auto, face detection and Motion Panorama. There is no image stabilisation or internal memory; it stores to SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and runs on Fujifilm's NP-45 lithium-ion battery, charged over USB and rated around 200 shots.
The JV500 is a switch-on-and-shoot camera for casual snapshots. The lack of any stabilisation means it needs steady hands or good light, especially at the telephoto end, and the plastic body is light rather than robust. Its appeal today is as a cheap, simple CCD compact that takes modern SD cards and charges over USB.
Used prices are low and running costs lower: NP-45 batteries and USB leads are cheap and everywhere, and any standard SD card works. Check the battery door and tripod-area plastics for cracks, confirm it charges over USB, and test the zoom through its range. With no stabiliser, blurry test shots may just be technique rather than a fault.